Propeller for flying-machines.



B. F. SEYMOUR.

PROPELLER FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.24. 1911.

Patented Oct. 80, 1917.

witnesses BENJAMIN F. SEYMOUR, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

v PROPELLER FOR FLYING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0013.30, 1917.

Application filed August 24, 1911. Serial No. 645,812.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SEY- MOUR, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county-of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propellers for Flying-Machines; and I do declare the following-to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in propellers for flying machines.

My. present improvement consists in equipping the'propeller blades with transversely disposed deflectors, so arranged that the distance between the deflectors, where the air escapes when the propeller is in operation, is less than the distance between these deflectors where the air enters. By virtue of this arrangement, I accomplish two important objects. By the transverse arrangement of the deflectors, the air is prevented from escaping at the outer extremities thereof, or moving outwardly longitudinally of the blades under the action of centrifugal force due to the rotation of the blades within their zone of travel. This feature makes it practicable to rotate the propeller at any desired speed, without producing a vacuum or cavity within the zone of travel.

In the case of ordinary propellers, when rotated in the atmosphere, the speed at which the propeller can be rotated advantageously is limited by reason of the fact that the greater the speed of rotation, the greater the tendency to drive out the air from the zone of rotation and produce a vacuum or a condition whereby the atmosphere is so rarefied that the propeller blades virtually have nothing to act upon to produce the necessary resistance for effective operation in connection with flying machines.

This feature has been explained in my previous applications, Serial No. 531,188, filed December 3, 1909, and Serial No. 531,187, filed December 3, 1909. I

The other object accomplished by virtue of the aforesaid arrangement of the trans disposed deflectors eonsistsin the compression of the air at the line of its exit from the propeller blades due to the fact that the space between these blades is greater where the air enters than where it escapes. This compression increases the atmospheric resistance to the movement of the blades, and consequently cooperates with the transverse arrangement of the deflectors to prevent the formation of a vacuum or the production of a 'rarefied'condition of the atmosphere equivalent to a vacuum.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction, I will proceed to describe the same in detail,reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which is illus-, trated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a view of a propeller, looking in the direction of the axis of the shaft upon which the blades are mounted.

Fig. 2'is a view looking at right angles to Fig. 1, or a view looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view, illustrat ing my peculiar construction and arrange ment of the deflectors upon a propeller blade, the parts being shown on a' larger scale than in the other views, so far as the length of the blade is concerned.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a shaft having a hub 6, to which blades 7 are secured, the said blades being suitably inclined to the axis of the shaft to serve the necessary purpose of propulsion, when used in connection with a flying machine. Upon each blade of the propeller I arrange deflectors 8, which are transversely disposed and so arranged that the distance between the extremities 9 of any two deflectors, on the edge of the blade where the air enters during rotation, is greater than the distance between the opposite extremities 10 of the same deflectors on the edge of the blade where the air escapes or makes its exit. These deflectors may be constructed in any suitable manner. As illustrated in the drawing, they are shown to be V-shaped, the two members 12 and 13 of each blade being curved and diverging from the point 9 of the deflector toward the opposite edge of the latter, where they are farthest apart, the two parts 12 and 13 being illustrated as relatively thin, leaving a space betweenthem. It

muaa'tnasasaa the assassin if desired, be formed solid, or in any other desired'mannerfso long as they are so ar ranged that the space between them, where the air enters, is farther apart than the space between them where the air escapes whenthe propeller'is' in operation.

In further explanation ofthe'specialcon struction of the deflectors shown in the drawing, itemavbe stated that each .de-t

flector is U-shaped in'cross section, or in end a view .when looking at the extremity of the deflector where the air. escapes from the blade. This gives a flat surface 14, which lies in engagement with the. faceof=the Any. suitable fastening;

propeller vblade. meansimay be employed. L 'i 1 v Asno fastening devices are'illustrated the---drawing,.it must be assumed thatfthe, deflectors are soldered, braz'edor electric-v cally welded to the ropeller blade. 1 These are features which 0 not, in any way, af- 7 feet the broad invention. as heretofore .outlined.

lirithe operation.of my improved propeller, it willlbe understood that, as the blades move through the atmosphere, the

. latter, instead of slipping from the blade in alongitudinal: direction, whereby there is a resulting tendency to produceialvacuum in the zone of rotation, the. air is compelled axis, ,Referring-toFig; 30f the drawing, the

to travel inwardly toward the, axis of rotation.

A distance between the propeller blade, where I 'Oopua-ottfis patent be obtained tor 'flve cent: eechpby-aililressing thewommissioner or I j ,Washin'gtomLG.

the air enters, 2 it being [assumed that the blade is traveling "inethe directionindicated byuthe ar'rowsin, 2, and def the drawing, is imitated b the abate lines 15,

or the distance between the dotted arcs 16 on the line 15 while the distance between the deflectors, where the air escapes, is indicated by the dotted lines 17, being the distance between the dotted arcs18. s Havin thus described my invention, whatlIc aim-lis:'-

1. A propeller comprising blades of uni:

form thickness, and a series off wedge-l shaped deflectors mounted: upon one side of each blade, said deflectors being hollow and open at their larger'extremities, and their walls being "of'uniform thickness, the walls of each: deflector being paced from. the walls of adjacent deflectors.

v2. Apropeller. comp-rising blades of nniform thickness, and a series of hollow wedge-shaped deflectors mounted transversely upon oneside of eachblade, the

points of the wedges lying adjacent the forward edge of'the blade and their *op'positeextremities being open, the. wallsofthe deflectors being of uniform thickness, the walls of each deflector being s]g )aced from the walls of adjacent deflectors.

. 3. A propeller comprising blades of uniform thickness and a series "of deflectors mounted transversely upon one side of eachblade, each deflector being composed of two relatively thin spaced members of uniform; thickness meeting at a line at one extremity and diverging'therefrom toth'e opposite extremity oftthe deflector, the two members forming eachdeflector being spaced. from the members forming adjacent deflectors; In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature in P ce of two Witnesses.

" BENJAMIN sEY witnesses'zl v BOWE .W

}E '1 OBnnnf.

,Patexita, 

